Sam met Cammisano at one of the first big parties he attended in his freshman year. “We didn’t start off as huge fans of each other,” he says. It was a lingerie party, and Cammisano was dressed as a rabbit, his underwear amplified by a bushy white tail.

Sam remembers the tail because when he first saw him, Cammisano was bent over the railing of a second-story garden deck, violently puking.

“I went up to him to ask if he was OK, and he started cursing at me, screaming, ‘Fuck off — do you know who I am?’ ” A new kid at Mizzou, Sam wasn’t aware that Cammisano was a star swimmer.

“I told him I didn’t care who he was. We didn’t speak again for two years.”

Related: Michael Sam Celebrates NFL Draft Pick By Kissing Boyfriend

What a difference a few years and an ability to hold one's lunch make. The two began dating, and though it was rocky at first, Sam credits Cammisano with giving him the courage to come out:

By the time they were reintroduced by a mutual friend during Sam’s junior year, Cammisano had come out as gay. Sam, though, was still in the closet. One night, the trio went out together to a bar.

“I could see he was interested,” Sam said. “I bought him a couple of drinks, got us tipsy. Toward the end of the night, I put my arm around him, and it was over.” The two started dating, but Sam was concerned about his teammates finding out. “Everyone knew Vito was gay, so we couldn’t even be seen together. There was a lot of climbing out of windows.”

Eventually, the two split. As time went on, though, Sam grew more comfortable with being gay and the couple got back together before Sam’s senior year.

This time they made no efforts to hide their relationship, and Sam decided it was time to formally come out to his team. “Vito was really the person who showed me I had to do it,” Sam said. “I wanted us to be comfortable.”

Aww, precious. And they lived happily ever after. Until a few assholes complained to the FCC about it.